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If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you’d be aware of the calf-slaughter incident that took place in Kerala a few weeks ago. This outrageous and blatant disrespect of Hindu sentiments, that was carried out by youth Congress workers, was perhaps the most vivid and illuminating example of the opposition’s selective secularism. Why the Congress workers decided to carry out this public display of ridiculing and mocking Hindu sentiments is something I’ll explain later, but the fact remains that this political stunt has, once and for all, exposed the opposition’s (and even the so called liberal media’s) communal agenda.

The Calf Slaughter in Kerala is Proof of the Opposition and Liberal Media’s Communal Agenda.

First, let me just make one thing very clear – I do not believe in policing someone’s personal right, as well as choice, to eat whatever they like to eat. And as it happens, the Central Government isn’t interested in doing so either. The Central Government has only recommended a ban on the sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter, and the primary reason behind this has got more to do with health and hygiene than it does with communal politics. There are many illegal slaughterhouses around this country that are shoddily maintained and they engage utterly unhygienic practices to produce meat (these also include the ones that the UP Government had proposed to shut down). Now it goes without saying that our Government is responsible for the health and well-being of all its citizens, and so if it is brought to its attention that unhygienic and unhealthy food is being processed in slaughterhouses, there’s nothing wrong with the Government wanting to shut them down. Illegal and non-complaint slaughter houses have to be immediately shut down and that is precisely what the Government has been intending. Central Government, State Governments and Municipal Corporations have defined rules for Slaughter houses and the hygiene & factory inspectors have to maintain the legal standards.

Again, let’s not forget that the Government has not passed any legislations that have called for a ban on consumption of beef. In fact, anyone who has been keeping a track of all the legislations that have effectively banned the slaughter and consumption of beef in recent years will let you know that it’s the state governments that have passed such bills. Be it Maharashtra or Haryana, it’s the state governments (and not the central government) that have banned beef in their respective states. It is well within the rights of the democratically elected state governments to pass such legislations, just as it is within the rights of Kerala and West Bengal to not pass such legislations. Now in case anyone does have a problem with the beef ban being enacted in their state (by their state governments), they can always look towards legal recourse as a possible solution. The Indian Judiciary is one of the most respected ones in the world and there is no reason whatsoever for the Congress (or any other party for that matter) to mock Hindu beliefs by resorting to such kind of calf slaughtering protests or sponsoring so called Beef Fests in campuses instigating students. While it is legitimate to keep own views in democracy with respect to beef eating, why are certain political parties not respecting the sentiments of Hindus and resorting to appeasement of Muslims? I have a question here – What if the students of Jamia Milia Islamia or Aligarh Muslim University or JNU want to consume pork in campus? What will be the opinion of the so called fake representatives of the Muslim sentiments?

Also where are the so called Animal rights activists & PETA Activists who protest against customary Jallikattu in neighboring state of Tamil Nadu but are absent when there is a brutal display of cruelty against animals by slaughtering a calf on the streets of Kerala by Congress workers just to spread hatred against Hindus and appease the Muslims .

Additionally, one only needs to look at the recent election wins registered by the BJP in multiple states (including their historic mandate in Uttar Pradesh) to gauge the mood of the nation. If the people of this country are deciding to heavily vote for the BJP, despite being aware of the party’s position and policies, then shouldn’t that be a cause of concern for all those who are trying to hurt Hindu sentiments just to make a political point? Finally, let’s not forget what the actual motive behind Congress’s barbaric stunt was – to communalize upcoming elections. And it’s not just the Congress that has this agenda, even certain sections of the media are complacent in this and it doesn’t take rocket science or one to be Einstein to figure out what’s going on here. The opposition led by the Congress and sections of the liberal media have twisted the issue and taken a health and hygiene based recommendation by the Central Government and hijacked it to communalize and divide the people of this country. This has been their agenda all along, and has become a means for them to showcase their selective communalism and mockery of Hindu sentiments. It remains to be seen how successful this ends up being in the long run, but considering the BJP’s string of victories in recent elections, the Congress and the media might be in for a rude awakening. After 70 years of Independence, it is the existence of Congress which is challenged . Is the Congress high command disrespecting the feelings of majority in India and I ask this question to the Congress leadership “Is the food of Rome forced on the streets of India ?”

As you must have already seen or heard on the news by now, a few days ago I was subjected to a horrible and unnerving incident at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Mumbai airport that has still left me wondering about the so-called ‘secular’ fabric of our country. Now as news coverage is never able to accurately capture any incident, I wanted to let you know exactly what happened and why I had a problem with it. The gist of it is simple – my wife and I were making our way to Delhi from Mumbai and were about to board our flight when we came across a group of Muslim men who were sitting down near the boarding pass counter and reading the namaaz. Now these men were actually blocking our pathway and doing so in an area that was causing a lot of inconvenience to regular passengers. And if that wasn’t bad enough, when I complained about this to the CISF officer in charge, he not only ignored my grievances, but actually started speaking to my wife and I in a rude and derogatory manner. He didn’t even shy away from hurting our religion sentiments, even though he was being so protective of other’s religious sentiments. This display of selective secularism has raised enough red flags in my mind that I’m compelled to pen down my thoughts in this blog.

First of all, let me just reiterate something I’ve always maintained – I have NO problem with any religion. This issue, and why I decided to raise my voice against it, isn’t even about religion to begin with, rather it’s got more to do with the plague of selective secularism that is spreading across the country. Take for instance the location where this incident took place – the airport. Now last time I checked, the airport is NOT supposed to be a place of worship in the first place. Yet, there are certain provisions that are actually made to make sure that the religious sentiments of specific communities are not hurt. If one wants to read the namaaz at the airport, there are specific rooms that are provided for to do just that. But for people to read the namaaz in the middle of the airport, right next to the boarding pass counter, should not be acceptable.

And if this apparent flouting of rules and norms is acceptable for one religion, then it should also be acceptable for all religions – which was the point that I was trying to make. Just ask yourself one question – if a group of people can be allowed to sit down in the middle of an airport to read the namaaz (despite causing grievances and inconvenience to other people), then shouldn’t people also be allowed to sit down and block that same pathway to conduct a puja? If so, why did the CISF officer in charge have such a problem with my sitting down, so much so that he started misbehaving with me and my wife in a derogatory manner?

It wasn’t until the head CISF officer came and apologized to my wife and I that I decided to let the matter go but by then we had missed our flight. I hope that if any good comes out my plight, it’s that people start understanding that no religion can and should be given such special liberties at the expense of others and if such special liberties are to be given, then they should be given and accorded to ALL religions. After all, isn’t that what ‘secularism’ is supposed to be all about? Unless I didn’t get the memo on the new definition on secularism, I wouldn’t like to think otherwise.

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At the India Today Conclave 2017 held in Mumbai, noted Industrialist Mukesh Ambani spoke about the absolute necessity of protecting our data and ensuring that it stays within our shores. To ensure that that happens, he talked about how it’s imperative that we launch a ‘Keep in India’ campaign, one that complements PM Modi’s dynamic ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’ campaigns. Having already stated my views on this before, I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Ambani’s pragmatic assessment as there are countless benefits that we, as a nation, would reap if we ensured that all domestically generated data is retained within our borders.

These benefits include, but aren’t limited to, an increase in inflow of investments and international talent, a decrease in outflow of domestic talent, and a paramount increase in job creation. Then there are also, as Mr. Ambani rightfully pointed out, reasons pertaining to national security and sovereignty conditions that further add to the necessity of launching a ‘Keep in India’ campaign. Additionally, this initiative can also help us prepare for the Digital Age that the world is being ushered. How so? Well, it can ensure that we develop the necessary human capital needed to maintain our leadership position in the field of technology for future generations.

In one of my earlier blog posts from 2014, I had talked about how upsetting and frustrating it was to see that India was globally ranked 29th in a list of 30 countries for business attractiveness. I had also stressed on the need for a Policy environment that is conductive to growth for both the enterprise, as well as the entrepreneur, and one that gives big enterprises enough motivation to set shop here. Now ever since the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power with a thumping majority, things have gotten a lot better. The ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’ campaigns have, to a great extent, helped create this pro-entrepreneur environment that has made India more attractive in terms of energy infusion, land and infrastructure, and capital infusion. But most, if not all, of this progress that’s been made in the last 3 years will be for naught if we don’t ensure protection of our domestically created data.

Now fortunately for us, there are many ways one could go about to ensure the protection of our data. For starters, as already mentioned above, launching a ‘Keep in India’ campaign will go a long way in informing, educating and motivating in-house developers and entrepreneurs about the need and importance of keeping domestically created data within our borders. Apart from that, the government could also draft some policies that would make it more difficult for companies that first generate ad revenue out of Indian data, and then set up Data Centres in foreign countries. Finally, we need to support our Prime Minister, in every way we can, in all of his endeavors related to ‘Digital India’ as we are extremely fortunate to have a leader like him, one who understands technology and all of its multiple benefits.

We are now living in a day and age where data and information wield unquestionable power. In the decades to come, they wouldn’t be any less important or desirable as a tool of power than even oil. As such, if we, as a developing nation vying to be the next superpower of the world, are to realize our full potential, we need to capture all of the benefits of the Indian technology revolution that we are currently a part of. And to do that, we need to ensure that data remains in India.

Recently, I was in the US for some work-related purposes. Having stayed in Chicago, a few things quickly grabbed my attention. While I was certainly in awe of all the buildings that were the result of Donald Trump’s genius (the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago being one of them), I couldn’t help but notice how the rest of Chicago was largely lagging behind when it came to infrastructure. There were bridges that were rusting and falling apart, abandoned factories that resembled ghost towns and roads that weren’t well maintained at all. Considering the pride President Trump, and America itself for that matter, takes in its infrastructure, I found it incredibly ironic to see one of the largest and most popular cities in the States not being up-to-the-mark vis-à-vis government infrastructure.

Now let’s contrast this to the recent developments that have been made by our own Government and, in particular, the honourable Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping, shri Nitin Gadkari. Recently, he raised the bar for developers of the 10,000-crore Eastern Peripheral Expressway, announcing that commuters would be able to effortlessly drive at the speed of 150 Km/h without having to face any hurdles on the road. In fact, he even said that driving on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway is going to be so smooth that one could pour themselves a cup of tea and not spill a single drop, despite the car being driven at a speed as high as 150 Km/h. Additionally, he also said that the NHAI will consider adding a layer of bitumen on concrete highways to prevent tyre bursts and crashes, as is the case with some road stretches abroad, in a bid to make expressways and highways safer for pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and other vehicle users.

There’s a great sense of irony in what’s happening in the world right now. While on one hand Donald Trump stresses on enforcing an ‘America First’ and a ‘Make in America’ policy, all the while major cities in his country have areas that are being shoddily maintained. Meanwhile, the Indian Government continues to make new strides in different sectors including, but not limited to, health, railways, roadways and urban development. But it’s not just the irony that I’m trying to highlight here – this is also another strong sign that it’s not time we too took a cue from Mr. Trump and decided to implement a ‘India first’ and ‘Make in India’ policy in ALL sectors.

The need for adopting a preferential market access policy could not be stressed enough. We’ve already proven that we are more than capable of developing this country on our own, so why not take things a notch further and implement the PMA policy that will promote homegrown talent and not limit their opportunities at the expense of international organizations? After all, shouldn’t our priority be towards our own citizens first? Additionally, enforcing this policy will help ward off concerns about product quality and security, will help reduce the balance of payments deficit in electronics and perhaps most importantly, will help create new employment opportunities in the manufacturing sector.

In closing, I’d just like to make one crucial point – In a time and age when the world around is constantly becoming more self-centered, with nations (Be it the post-Trump USA or the post-Brexit United Kingdom) electing to put their interests above globalized politics and policies, there’s no reason why a potential superpower like ours should stay behind and not look out for our own best interests.

On November 8, 2016, against all odds, Donald Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States. Even on Election Day itself, this was something that most people thought was unfathomable. Defying the entire mainstream liberal media and overcoming all opinion polls, Trump won the election with 306 electoral votes, and in the process, ending up swinging deeply blue states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania from Democratic to Republican for the first time in decades. Now whether you agree or disagree with his opinions, you can’t deny the fact that what he registered was a spectacular victory, one that defied all odds and made everyone reassess what they were initially thinking about politics. Now initially, even I was a little surprised by how Trump could have possibly won. But after recently visiting the United States (Chicago in particular) for some work, I can understand exactly how and why Trump ended up winning this election.

For the longest time one can remember, America has always been known as the global leader in a variety of fields including, but not limited to, infrastructure. Well, if you were to visit Chicago and were to travel to Downtown Chicago from Hyatt regency, you’d come across a bridge that would say otherwise. The bridge is rusting, shoddily maintained and even shows alarming cracks. When I first laid eyes on this bridge, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Is this the infrastructure of a city as modern and urban as Chicago? Our own Mumbai Bridge, that was initiated by Nitin Gadkari in 1995, stands majestic and beautifully maintained in 2017, whereas bridges in Chicago are rusting, breaking and, for lack of a better word, dying.

And no, that bridge isn’t the only thing that bewildered me during this trip. Detroit (situated in the all too important state of Michigan), that once used to be the hub of industrial America, now lays barren and empty, it’s vacant factories rusting and dying. This America seems less like the one mentioned by all in the proverbial ‘American Dream’ and more like the one that constitutes an ‘American Nightmare’. Noticing how far the Rust Belt of America has been left behind owning to globalization and outsourcing, one can see exactly why Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania voted for Trump.

Now during my stay in Chicago, there was another thing I noticed that, once again, made me understand exactly why people elected Trump in 2016. Not too far from where I was staying, was the Trump Tower. Standing 1,388 feet tall with 98 floors, it stood like a majestic beauty and was, without a doubt, a sight to behold. Adjacent to the Trump Tower was another innovative infrastructural creation the like of which I had never seen before – an elevated parking structure, standing higher than even most buildings we’ve got back home.

Seeing Trump’s own personal infrastructural creations, and contrasting them with the dying bridges of Chicago or the barren factories in Detroit, one can start to understand why, when he ran on the pitch of ‘Making America Great Again’, he ended up being successful. Whether Trump’s liberal haters would like to believe it or not, but the USA is crumbling down and many cities, especially those located in and near the Rust Belt, are slowly dying. Just having two cities located on the coasts (New York, Los Angeles) developing and thriving isn’t enough to make up for those cities that are rusting and falling apart. And so the need of the hour for the United States is to have someone leading them who, not only understands that this problem exists, but also is aware of the necessary that need to be taken to fix it. And if the majestic Trump Tower in Chicago is anything to go by, then I can confidently say that America truly made the right choice in 2017.